the lowest since president obama took office. officials at the white house say there is still more work to be done on the jobs front but insist the later report is proof -- latest report is proof the economy is headed in the right direction. >> we've made too much progress to return to the policies that led to the crisis in thefirst place. >> reporter: in a statement republican challenger mitt romney said -- this is not what a real recovery looks like. if not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labor force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11%. it's a message he's been hammering on the campaign trail. >> we've had 43 straight months with unemployment above 8%. >> reporter: economists say unemployment fell in part because more people have landed part-time work. that's what keenan's done. there's one more jobs report before election day. tara mergener for cbs news, the white house. >> surae chinn is covering the political scene for us. today she is in fairfax. surae? >> reporter: well, j. c., if anyth